Gently parting my labia with two fingers, his clever tongue descended into my wet heat, licking and exploring. I gripped the bed covers in my balled fists, my entire being ready to detonate like a breached fusion reactor. My wetness covered his face as he reveled in my taste, Reed’s nose and tongue and lips all vying for their portion of my needy flesh. I couldn’t hold back and didn’t want to… not one second more. An orgasm burgeoned from deep within my pelvis, my first ever under the hands of a man, and swelled up and out to every part of my body, cresting over me in a black wave of ecstasy.
“Reed!” I screamed his name, succumbing to the rolling shocks of sensation coming one after the other, wishing they would last forever. “Reed…”
“I’m here, baby,” he said, his low voice floating closer as he left my clit to ride out its own journey, and drew his sterling body overtop me again. “I’m here. I’ll take care of you.”
My body still rocked from the strength of his touch as he reached for the small plastic package on the nightstand. I watched in dazed fascination as he sheathed himself, and although I knew safety came first, I didn’t want to be denied of even one sexy, naked inch of him. I wanted him all. He flashed a playful smile as he finished and leaned down to me again. I admired the way he could be so natural and easygoing about an act I’d waited all my life to experience. I still felt awkward and shy about it, struggling not to retreat deep within myself.
“Just relax,” he said, sliding his arm under my neck. He kissed me, and I found my own taste and scent on his lips. He placed one of my feet to rest in the small of his back then poised the slippery tip of his massive cock at my entrance. I sucked in a breath on reflex, and my nails dug into his biceps as I clung to him. He held my gaze with his stirring green eyes. I could see gentleness and assurance mirrored back at me. Reed couldn’t have made me feel safer or more protected. “Trust me.”
“I do,” I breathed.
I felt a gentle pressure as he breached my outer lips, slowly pushing deeper. His engorged cock began to stretch my walls, accompanied by a gradual, searing sting that raked through my lower body. I let out a startled gasp at the sharp yet sweet pain—the pain that would finally release me from a prison of my own making.
“Shh… it’s alright,” Reed soothed. “I’ve got you.”
As if his words were magic, the pain receded, and only throbbing hardness remained, stretching and tugging my body in a way that caused my breath to catch in my throat. He gently withdrew, then surged forward again. I’d never felt anything so totally satisfying and overwhelming at the same time. Our bodies connecting was the only thing that existed and mattered in the world at this moment. It was everything.
Reed’s thrusts became faster, stronger, and more urgent. I rocked in sync with him, relishing every deep, powerful stroke as it filled me to the hilt. We were two beings made one, and though I knew it wasn’t possible, wanted it to stay that way forever. I was his, and he was mine.
Reed reached between our bodies to strum my clit with his thumb, and I felt another climax being pulled from my aching body. I couldn’t believe it was possible to come again so quickly, but before I was ready, stars formed behind my eyes, bursting forth into a cacophony of pleasure. The spasms wracked me, and my pussy convulsed around Reed’s cock, asking for everything he had to give.
“You’re so tight and wet. It’s so damn good,” he said, his voice escalating into hoarse moans as he climaxed right after I did, his body tensing then shuddering in release.
I felt the warmth of him as he came, and in those wonderful seconds wished he hadn’t sheathed himself. But the rational side of me knew it was for the best. I couldn’t get involved long-term with Reed. To do so would be detrimental to my well-being. But a girl could still dream. As I stroked his back muscles, I imagined what it would be like to watch my belly grow swollen with Reed’s baby.
A family.
What I’d always wanted and what seemed to be slipping right through my aging fingers. But for now, I intended to make the most of this one perfect night. I smiled and held the man I’d wanted my whole damn life even more tightly in my arms.
Chapter Sixteen
Harper
The cotton weave of a white pillowcase greeted my eyes as they fluttered open on the first day of the rest of my life. I’d done it. My dirty thirties virgin shame was a thing of the not so distant past. I could move forward with my life without this cloud hovering over me. Now, I was free to not be embarrassed to be in a relationship. Maybe even get married. Start a family of my own.
Pale, pre-dawn light filtered across from a curtained window to my right. Consciousness struggled to the surface of my brain, and the muddled seconds of unfamiliarity were replaced with delicious clarity.
I was lying in a strange bed. In Reed’s bed.
My one uncovered ear listened to the sound of his deep, even breathing, and my skin became aware of his body heat as it warmed the small distance between us. God, it had really happened. I was almost afraid to turn my head and look, for fear it was all an illusion and the heat of my stare would make him evaporate.
Instead, I entertained myself replaying the events of last night in my mind. At least, those that occurred after we arrived in Reed’s apartment. The others could go straight to hell. My thoughts filled with the taste and touch of Reed’s lips, his strong hands caressing my quivering body. A pleasant ache lingered between my legs where his cock had split me in half. Damn. If I had really known in advance how good it would feel, I would have hired an escort ten years ago.
A smile tugged at my mouth over that last one. Melodramatic much, Harper? The last thing I remember was falling asleep in his arms, spent and overcome with emotion, nodding and running my hands over his chest when he asked me to stay with him. As if there was any other place I wanted to be. I was going to hold on to the fantasy as long as possible before it exploded into confetti of regret.
The room grew brighter with the oncoming daylight. I hadn’t worn a watch but estimated it must be nearing eight or so, judging by the brightness. Mild panic interrupted my lusty thoughts to strategize the next steps in this surreal scenario. How did one behave after one’s deflowering at an embarrassing age? I had no idea how to play this. At home, all the trappings of my cushioned life would have been there to soothe me. At home, I would feel competent. In control.
But here I already felt clueless, clumsy, and completely out of my element. I probably looked like hell, too, with smudged makeup and my hair standing on end in six different directions. What if Reed woke up and looked at me like he’d discovered a tattoo with a woman’s name on his ass the morning after a bachelor party? It would crush me. I couldn’t take it, and I couldn’t court it. I had to get the hell out of here.
As much as I wanted to stay in this bed forever, I equally wanted to make a clean escape to avoid the discomfort that wouldn’t allow me to walk away unscathed. But I couldn’t leave without at least gazing upon his face one more time. I intended to burn it in my memory. That way, I could take it out and cherish it anytime I felt alone, remembering last night and how he’d turned turmoil into perfection.
He laid on his back, one brawny arm thrown above his tousled head and the other resting across his six pack. His head lay to the side, affording a view of his strong, chiseled profile. I exhaled a sigh. He was still the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen, or probably ever would. My gaze traveled along the sculpted landscape of his chest and down to the sheet, everything underneath the thin fabric hidden from my hungry gaze. My hands itched to rip it off and see if round two would be just as incredible or if all of it was just a fluke.
He stirred, and I quickly turned my face away toward the window again. I didn’t want his first look to be my morning face. I saw the crumpled heap of my red gown on the floor, and my shoes next to it, but where the hell was my clutch purse? I had lipstick and a comb in there at least, as well as my phone and keys. Hopefully, it was in the other room. My memory of leaving the hotel and arriving
at this apartment was more of a blur than anything else. My emotions had been so high, and I’d been in a fog of pain from Olivia’s antics.
Reed’s body shifted toward me as I lay on my stomach. I kept still, feigning sleep as his hand began to stroke a gentle path down my spine. My nipples contracted into throbbing spikes of flesh even at his gentle caress, stabbing into the mattress beneath me. My pussy clenched and ached. More. Damn it.
I want so much more. More than he can ever give. Because I want everything. I want it all. And if I can’t have it all, I can’t have any. Crumbs would only kill me inside.
I closed my eyes and relaxed to the feathery sweeps of his fingertips up and down my skin, when suddenly the obnoxious buzz of a cell phone against a tabletop became an unwanted, thieving intruder.
I heard Reed grunt at the sound as he rolled over to reach for the device on the nightstand. Without answering it, he rolled gently off the bed and walked away. I heard a door creak closed and guessed he’d gone into the bathroom since my brief visit hadn’t exactly included a grand tour of the place.
I sat upright and glanced around the room. I saw my discarded thong lying atop the folds of my dress and picked it up, unsure whether to get dressed or not. As I debated my options, I heard Reed’s voice. My God, the walls in this place were so thin his words sounded as clear as if he were still lying next to me.
“Why are you calling at this hour?” A pause. “Yeah, it’s done. I didn’t think you needed a progress report about how many times I fucked her. She seemed to like it.” Another pause, longer. “It’s not like that, Irene. Don’t get your pearls in a twist.”
Irene Sutton.
My brow creased in puzzlement. What was so important she had to call him at this early hour? It’s ‘not like’ what? My ears honed in on the conversation even though I felt a little dirty to be straining to hear something that didn’t involve me. Or did it? It could hardly be called eavesdropping when the bathroom was practically a broadcast booth.
“A job’s a job,” Reed continued in a bored tone. “The rest doesn’t mean anything.” Another excruciating pause. “Of course I won’t get personally involved. I’m a professional. I thought I’d proved that to you already. Fine. Three o’clock. I’ll be there.”
The small, sparsely furnished room began to shrink around me, cutting off my air supply as my mind raced. Is he talking about me? Doesn’t mean anything? Just a job? Oh, how the tables had turned. The sharp pain crushing my chest rendered me immobile for only a millisecond before I stood and picked up my soiled scrap of underwear, grabbing my dress and shoes before scurrying into the living room. Thank God. My missing clutch lay on Reed’s rent-to-own monstrosity of a sectional.
I stepped into the gown, nearly tripping myself on the draping folds of the skirt. Damn, why had I chosen such a fussy, impractical rag to wear last night? Because I was trying to impress someone. A man. No. More like a fucking Benedict Arnold. I seethed inside. Mad at Reed but way angrier at myself for my warped fantasies. How could I have been so stupid?
Halfway was the best I could do with the zipper before I stuffed my ripped underwear into my bag, scooped up my shoes and clutch and bolted for the door. Reed wasn’t the only one who wouldn’t get personally involved. I wasn’t about to wait around for the trite platitudes that were sure to come on the wings of his check in with his boss. This time, I’d be doing the dumping. No matter how much it sliced my heart in two.
I’d made some mistakes in my time, both personally and professionally. But this… this faux pas took the fucking blue ribbon at the county fair. I’d been a monumental fool to think Reed’s words and actions were a product of anything more than on-the-job training. “You’re so beautiful—trust me—let me take care of you…” I’d been so overcome by raging lust that I hadn’t even noticed the rote clichés that could apply to anyone. I racked my brain, trying to remember if he’d even called me by name. I knew that pet names were used by players because they couldn’t keep all their women straight. He hadn’t. He’d never said Harper. I was just a job. A fuck for money. And since he’d just made arrangements to meet Irene at three o’clock, his plans clearly didn’t include spending the day with me, basking in the warm afterglow.
Maybe a gratitude fuck with the boss was on the agenda, as I recalled her comments about vetting his physical assets. A wave of disgust washed over me at the thought. How could he go straight from me to someone else?
I slipped quietly out the front door, and once inside the cold sanctuary of the elevator, I called up the GPS app on my phone, realizing I didn’t even know the address of Reed’s building to give to Uber. Then again, where would I wait? I couldn’t very well hunker in the entrance vestibule dressed like this, and where Reed would be sure to find me. I glanced around the seedy street, feeling very unsafe and very unlovable. Through teary eyes, I blindly punched the number for my only other option. I’d have hell to pay in explaining my predicament, but then again, I already paid Julie well enough not to question my motives.
Unlike some people, at least mine were honest.
Chapter Seventeen
Reed
“I’m kinda busy right now, so can we just discuss this later in your office? I gotta go,” I said, disconnecting the call before she could utter another grating word.
Irene Sutton was becoming a first-rate pain in my ass. Checking up on me at every turn like I was some clumsy intern. Calling me into her office for ‘debriefing’ at any old time she decided. But nothing could make me want to jam her up against her office wall at three o’clock and give her what she’d obviously been gagging for—my cock up her well-oiled vagina—just to shut her moldy ass up. Enough shit already came out of my mouth for abject pacification. I’d told her what I thought she needed to hear until I had her money firmly in my hot hands.
Jess. How could I forget my sweet baby girl for even one second? But the answer to that question was easy. I had my other sweet baby girl in my bed. And I needed to get back there right now and fuck her silly. Shit, I planned on keeping her in bed naked until the time came to get ready for my date with the devil.
I didn’t appreciate Satan on heels interrupting my free time, and especially now, with a beautiful woman in my bed. Not just any woman. Harper. I still couldn’t believe it.
My motivations, aside from the financial, were none of Irene’s business. So what if I wanted to get personally involved? It wasn’t any of her fucking business. Harper’s an old friend. Enough said.
Did Irene even know Harper’s true identity? In any case, with the contract duly fulfilled, I was free to pursue a genuine relationship with her… if that was what she wanted. I knew I wanted it. The casting off of the Laurie Arnold cloak could be liberating for everyone concerned. I again marveled at the transformation of my childhood friend—from girl next door, to annoying sidekick, to stunning socialite, to lover.
My lover.
Last night was incredible. I couldn’t remember any hotter sex. I knew I must have inducted more than a few unriddens into the annals of Reed Matheson’s hall of sexual conquest fame, but none were as sweet and surprising as Harper Payne. Though shocked at her revelation of being a virgin at her age, I enjoyed every second of her indoctrination, because of the undisguised pleasure she displayed at what I was able to give her. Her timid admission and her absolute trust in offering me the ultimate prize of her untried body nearly ripped my heart out.
The knowledge that she still lingered in my bed in the next room made my cock roar to life. I’d make certain round two was off the chain. After a trip to the bathroom, I entered my dingy bedroom in eager anticipation of seeing Harper’s orgasm face in the bright light of day when I could really savor it. ‘Fucking’ was a word that just didn’t apply in this situation…it seemed too base and vulgar. What Harper and I had going—or at least I hoped we had going—seemed like more. A crucible in which to burn away the past, heal old wounds and move forward together. Yikes. Sentimentality wasn’t my strong suit. When did I
get so corny over a woman?
It’s the first time you’ve ever had a reason to.
My warm fantasies turned colder than the ice I’d lived on most of my life when my eyes fell on the empty bed. Oh, hell no. She wouldn’t leave, would she? Running away like a frightened rabbit? I scoured the perimeter of the room as though I’d missed something or was hallucinating. A foolish sigh escaped me. Of course, she’d gone into the other bathroom off the hall. A two bathroom was a must-have feature I’d insisted on when searching the rental listings. A pre-teen girl would need her own bathroom, and I had clung adamantly to the belief she’d see those years and a lifetime more.
But as I passed the bed on my way to the hall, I noted the absence of a red dress on the floor. I stemmed my rising anxiety until I found the second bathroom door wide open and devoid of an occupant, and the living area and kitchen also gaping in silent emptiness. My stomach clenched.
She’d left. Without a word, without an explanation.
Without giving a shit.
Not about our night together, our past or our future.
Not about me.
Was that it? Was ridding herself of her little problem her only concern and use for me? A high-priced dick on legs? I couldn’t believe it. I wouldn’t believe it. I refused to accept that she still did this to get even. Not after everything that happened between us last night. Those tears, that irrational emotion. It was real.
My heart started to shudder like an alarm clock, urging me to get up, get some damn clothes on and go after her. She couldn’t have gone far in the scant minutes I’d spent in the bathroom.
Fuck. The bathroom.
Every room in this shit-hole of an apartment echoed like a gymnasium. Could she have overheard my one-sided conversation? Every word of it had been a lie to placate Irene, but Harper wouldn’t know that. What I said wasn’t meant for her ears. It was strictly for Irene’s benefit, to get the demanding woman off my fucking back. My God, of all the hardware I’d earned in my career, the trophy for the most personal screw-ups with the same woman wasn’t a piece that I coveted. I had to find Harper, fast. To explain. I had to.
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